Traditionally, an ophthalmic device, such as a contact lens or an intraocular lens, included a biocompatible device with a corrective, cosmetic, or therapeutic quality. A contact lens, for example, can provide one or more of vision-correcting functionality, cosmetic enhancement, and therapeutic effects. The physical characteristics of the ophthalmic lens provide each function. A design incorporating a refractive quality into an ophthalmic lens can provide a vision-corrective function. A pigment incorporated into the ophthalmic lens can provide a cosmetic enhancement. An active agent incorporated into an ophthalmic lens can provide a therapeutic functionality. Such physical characteristics may be accomplished without the ophthalmic lens entering into an energized state.
More recently, it has been theorized that active components may be incorporated into a contact lens. Some components can include semiconductor devices. Some examples have shown semiconductor devices embedded in a contact lens placed upon animal eyes. However, such devices lack a freestanding energizing mechanism. Although wires may extend from an ophthalmic lens to a battery to power such semiconductor devices and it has been theorized that the devices may be wirelessly powered, no mechanism for such wireless power has been available.
It is desirable therefore to have additional methods and apparatus conducive to the formation of ophthalmic lenses that are energized to an extent suitable for providing one or more functionality into an ophthalmic lens and controlling change in optical characteristic of an ophthalmic lens or other biomedical device. In the process of fabricating such ophthalmic and biomedical devices, there may be numerous components where the nature of the components' physical and chemical isolation, or lack thereof, may be important. Novel methods, devices, and apparatus relating to the sealing and encapsulation of various components in energized ophthalmic and biomedical devices are therefore important.